NY woman thanks medics who helped deliver baby

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — A Uniondale mother was reunited Tuesday with the police medic and officers that delivered her baby girl — and saved her life, hospital officials said, by removing the umbilical cord around her neck — in a speeding ambulance.

“They’re my heroes,” said Kenia Borjas Arias, 33, as she held her healthy newborn daughter Ailish at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow during a media availability to highlight the work of the officers and medic.

Borjas Arias was in her Uniondale home Monday when labor started about 1:30 p.m., officials said. Her due date was about nine days away, but when her water broke she called 911.

Police Medic Brian Matthews and First Precinct Police Officers Darnell White and Nicholas Dux responded to the call, which was initially described as a woman with back pain.

“When we showed up, the woman was in a lot of pain,” said Dux, who’s been on the job for 2 1/2 years.

White, an 18-month veteran with two children of his own, drove the police ambulance, while Matthews delivered the baby. Dux accompanied the ambulance in his police car.

“It went fast,” Matthews said.

The baby was crowning and when Matthews, who’s delivered six babies as a police medic for 20 years, spotted the cord on her neck, he knew it could be dangerous.

“It was blue when it came out,” Matthews said. “We had to help it with the breathing and stuff like that and suctioned it and stimulated it, but everything came out good.”

Ailish was born somewhere between Uniondale and East Meadow, hospital officials said.

Dr. Victor Politi, NUMC’s chief executive, said the lack of oxygen going to the baby because of the cord around her neck could have been deadly if not for the quick work of the medic.

“The medic did a really good job removing the cord,” said Dr. Angelica Sze, a chief resident at NUMC. “The medics reacted very rapidly. They did everything well. The baby was crying when we got to the scene.”

At the hospital Tuesday, Borjas Arias held Ailish tightly as her older daughter, Jairy Jael, 6, and her husband, Ronnie Padilla, 34, stood by her side.

Speaking through a translator, Borjas Arias said it was “excellent” to see the officers and medic that had saved her baby.

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, who called the medic and officers “heroes,” presented the family with a gigantic gray teddy bear festooned with a pink bow as a gift. The $29.99 bear was purchased from Costco and paid for by Mangano’s campaign, according to he and his spokesman.

“We couldn’t be more proud and of course we have a teddy bear here on behalf of all of us here in Nassau County to present the baby Ailish -- that’s her first teddy bear; we’re proud to do it -- on behalf of the police officers and the medic that helped deliver this wonderful baby into this wonderful world.”